Telegram-herald., 1887-06-12
SADLY NEGLECTED
suca 5 OK H9LL csNsTEEY.
Ih~ el<ss fras 80 ina ApPsssaae- sf "a
L1esxsd ioF Les F>~tsrs- ssE-sss 81
tAs 5sisiis< D>~d Ca1sEkssi. Grass
C1ez.r 80 a. hsr ks1E.saee %
se.ii.eaes-

se.tfssaes-
Ths cry q Grand Rapids places tAs con-
troi 81 is esmsiefies ia The Daniis oI
sosrs Of farss commissioners sh0 re-
esiss a. q recon- psnse lor their iaDoEs fns
mualdeent saza sf 500 eaen aannaiiy. fis
taas the alsry Of tbs osiics does not aanount
~ mach. Tss lhs men w1o oecnpg ths
positions afs supposed . pursue ether
ssoesslons 4Rd Eook after tns cities Of ne
dead ss a sorf Of labor 81 .0Fe.
Ihs pTsssnt csnasssry Coz. missioners are
= ~ Osterhoa1 Ransom c. Lace and Isaac
EigleF.
History rscitss TIA great rsyersncs paid
a. fae dead By lieaCnsn Eatious. yss IA this
soesled and cf tAs free. la this. TIE
s~conl eity u TIA 5tate. with la fame for
civilization snl saiturs extending tnfoagn-
oslg tne oonatgy. NE spots sasfe sleep tns
nonozed lead. have very mach Tie appear
aacs o. COW pastures
This - p4rllouisFly trus with Oak HI
esmslsry ons ol the Drsuaa located burial
grounds Ia sh1 county and beautined by
naf4rs With a boaaleouaspriakil kilng OF oak
snd other lrees.
The cemetery Is situated lust inside the
city limits. and is reached by street. ears, be-
ms located cn Hall.st, t.o blocks east Oi
A4o.-on-avs. fas approach TOR vehicles 3
simoas Eooiiy impssslDis, the imuaense
ssn1 nil last west Of tne grounds having
bssa d0s down for some hteen or twenty
feet. 50 tAaL lnnefsl trains ~ carriages con-
tanning visitors ara obliged 70 taks eitcu-
ltons cute rhrough she woods on the north,
While pedestrians pass through sand snkle
dssp, AID must &c good climbers - resch
ths top cf Tie euk.
Once on tne grounds. commanding as they
do a masn 1cent bird s-eye view Of the cisy,
the visiloz % impressed with the beauty ol
the surroundings AMI convinced Of = bal
nia hf be done With little care and small
outlay u n0aey, yer the place 8 allowed 70
run iteelf--to Use a hensely phrase and The
grounds are almost wholly neglected.
Insre ara no walks except those ol
motEer earth. and these ars only distin-
zuish able ~ a wsgoa track here and there
tor the weeds and grass have grown up 10
hsixht o. nearly tOot- Tbs grass on the
various plots IS uncut. tall, unslghtly
weeds sre seen on every sidc. brush and
dead leaves abound plsHteoasly. while dead
trees and brokso branches add TO the sorry
looking sspect Of zdairs.
Ia the south west corner a the cemste-y
- plot OF ground. even 10 worse cOudilioa
than any ether portion Of The sacred sp0l
ana De e said 10 ,ae eiscreditof someone. ths
bodies OF sixty nion soldies are allowed tc
rsst ia this wore than uncaret for section
OF ground. rlese srsxss are those o
soldiers who died IN the hospital while the
recruits were Ia camp IN this city yet
through carcsessneSs OF someone, the 0c
cupants of - OF these little mOaads are ua
kn0rn. tie poly history attached % eaci
0pe n The cemetery records beng that tos
person vas . Union ssldisr. JGst co whom
the blame skcell fail FOR sicc deplcrsbls
state OF adairs. no one seems 20 know and
salerest enough has nos o-sn taken by ths
psople 70 fad out.
These bdrisl spots. called oy courtesy
mounds. are marked only by board slss
sDcut a foot vide and threc feet Ia height
These boards were at one time p-intes
white and the Inscription on them leE,trst
In black TINE Las Gea.f rlkiu3ly eitl
these headsfoaes and the ravaxes O
weather hss almost entirely obliviatsd "a,
Tsing. so that the Inscriptions are almos
wholly uleyiolc. FOURTEEN Of these boarsi
xigs the name. regiment and date o
death Of the persons whose graves the.
msrk: four msrbe slabs have been ersctsc
ovgr Ike number OF graves and some az
tsmDt made "a sseP these mounds IN shape
vale fortyt..Ics 0f these cecayea board
marx the iss. resting spot OF mel
Who leff horne 20 battle 4,
defense Of home and country, but died De
fore the march. These men we're brave an,
patriotic, al probably left homes AZ,
friends. yet TIE apologies for the hesdboard
Of their graves bear only the inscription
It y s0ljier. Unknown"
The head boards Ike the cemetery. hsv
been sadly ne-i-cted sns iour OF thsra hav
rotfed swsy anil lay on lie ground
Nearly sh the olkss planted a, trcy ar
Ia the g-ocnd only frS inche3-Srs par
italy 0ssed a~sf aD@ lesr over "a ~
directions It = bat .asrisf ~ a ce.,ur'
nncs these heroes died yes the public wh'
srs continually oossting OF their love an.
reverencs for The old sOlfisss seefn 70 hav
utterly ignored the ourisE spots Of th
dead. Ia thrif extrprie anxiety Tor The hv
ing. CersfDlY scue csrs shoui1 D. givei
% ,tese hcnoreti fncurlis
Tie government by "a act of csuxrss
has enacted thai every ben0rs0lg disc asrs
sd soldier ~ thcse who died in service.
eni.t4su T. marble siso over h.s laet r.,
iDS n see. o1 The 0r0rcr application Ltfa
Efsde 10 TIE ccunty Clerk aa1 by linn ~.
warded ~ Washington. There are rerular
" sppointefegs IS Of The governments 10
this purpose tn this city sni vicinity. q
our midst ere tu0 Posts Of the q. A. r
snt ~ drcs seem stran-e that this tri
500 81 tIN@4 n fa.t-ltttt IN tDi
mstser sid allow these graves to =
me- 'rrfssl - II tts ea'anco Of he beartifu
Osk si..f fsrlsts-7.
lie Ccm3 - icusTs are cgftlinlr - 5'sm
for sliowfnE seen a state of sifsirs n exi'
ant snen.d .. 1efs the waiter AZ rnce.
4 % aooa e1Y lack ~ lnads for Oak Hi
hss f1ce rlonoT {, 10 creiit that any {
ths ct-1y ccue.erieS. The snnus
refort of the COMMISSIONER wh:c
hss itst been made seow zoe folio~
irx suuls e~ot nied the pa<t ve~r in IA
care of cesre e~ies- Valley City, 81 5qn
Greenwood. sco0Ji while a. Csx Hill b.
Sf2 - has been exrensie5. ard that sur
inlNsel Re bwi3i1s e. q new fence. v.
there j. a baianee Of sif1s23 TO the cred
cf ,hcfr fcri.
ScrsiY soneihine should be done in IN
matter sri ne TFrrERkx- HsskLp hop,
that foue eifirt vii be made to care "a
csk VII Cemetery ard plsce it in . pos
tion rbefe il vii BE credit 70 the cir
What shs Oueen wanted